Cycling.

One condition of enjoying a good bike trip is jumping on your bike and cycling straight away from Prague’s center. Yes, riding one’s bike inside Prague, though it has become more and more popular, is just not a lot of fun. Heavy traffic and the notorious lack of parking possibilities keep most people off riding their bikes downtown.

But here’s the good news, the Czech Republic has more than 28 000 kilometers of cycling trails, and perhaps surprisingly its capital holds 93 km of them.

As the numbers indicate, the Czech country for the most parts is suitable for biking. What is more, with its forests, ponds, small villages and many, many castles the countryside is especially appealing for an exploration tour on bike.

Only about 100 kilometers away from Prague lies Český Ráj, the Bohemian Paradise, which with its 300 kilometers of marked biking trails is great for family biking tours. Cycling through forests, sandstone rock towns, valleys with ponds or choosing steep slopes and downhill racing instead are all options in the Czech Republic’s first announced protected area.

The Krkonose Mountains, although not a distinct biker’s destination, also provide many interesting routes. Since the Giant Mountains are in a national park area, not all parts are accessible by bike but looking at the extended list of possible routes in the links below, you’ll see the many options you still have for riding your bike in this mountainous area.

In general, Southern Bohemia is flat and thus a good region for easy cycling, whereas at the Czech-German border the terrain can get quite hilly.

For passionate cyclers the Prague-Vienna Greenways (also known as the Czech Greenways) are probably the top choice. Going from Vienna to Prague via Kutna Hora and Telc, the route varies between steep to flat hills, woods and open fields. The scenic journey takes you about eight days, going trough villages, along rivers and lakes.